Celina ISD is looking to participate in the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a state-funded program that rewards outstanding teachers, Superintendent Tom Maglisceau said at a Sept. 21 Board of Trustees meeting.
Under the program, the state recognizes outstanding teachers based on district-specific guidelines, then gives those districts extra money to pay teachers more.
To join, CISD must undergo a three-year application process with the Texas Education Agency.
“[For] the recruitment, retaining and recognizing of all of our staff, this is something essential for us to look at,” he said.
Explained
State lawmakers created the Teacher Incentive Allotment, or TIA, in 2019 under House Bill 3, according to the TEA.
The program is designed “to provide outstanding teachers with an accessible pathway to a six-figure salary,” according to the TIA Guidebook.
The state designates four levels of outstanding teachers:
Acknowledged
Recognized
Exemplary
Master
Teachers with TIA designations generate additional state funding for their district.
Every district with TIA-designated teachers receives a base allotment per teacher, and high-needs and rural schools receive additional funding, per the guidebook.
Districts must spend at least 90% of TIA funding on teacher compensation at the campus where the TIA-designated teacher works, per the guidebook.
The remaining 10% can be spent on helping other teachers receive designations or administering the program.
How it works
Participation in the TIA program is optional. Joining the program is a three-year process, Maglisceau said.
To apply, a district submits an application to the TEA outlining how it will decide which teachers are outstanding, what data it will use to make that decision and how it will spend the money, according to the TIA website.
Once the TEA approves a district’s application, the district undergoes a data capture year to see which teachers would receive the TIA designation under the proposed system.
In the third year, the district submits the data it collected to the TEA, which validates the data and approves the district’s designation system.
TIA implementation process:
Year 0-1: Develop a local designation system
Year 1: Application year
Year 2: System implementation and data capture year
Year 3 (fall and winter): Data submission and validation
Year 3 (spring): Designations and allotments awarded for approved systems
While CISD does not yet have its own system to designate outstanding teachers, the district has seven employees who transferred to CISD after receiving TIA designations in other districts, Maglisceau said.
TIA designations travel with teachers who relocate within Texas, and the state continues to grant those teachers additional funding at their new district.
Next steps
CISD is starting the application process by forming a TIA Catalyst Committee of staff members nominated by their campus principals, according to Maglisceau’s presentation.
“What we wanted to do is make sure we were putting together a thoughtful, proactive opportunity for staff to be involved in giving us feedback,” Maglisceau said.
The committee will be “close to being up and running” ahead of CISD’s next board meeting on Oct. 26, he said.
